Understanding magnetic self-organization in plasmas is crucial to unraveling puzzles in astrophysical and laboratory plasma behavior. The Center unites laboratory plasma physicists with plasma astrophysicists for this purpose.

Experimenters and theorists participate from six institutions: the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Chicago, Princeton University, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Los Alamos National Labs, and Swarthmore College.

A National Science Foundation Physics Frontier Center,
established in coordination with the Department of Energy.